It Started Over Summer Break
by BrunetteBombshellBaby
Summary: (auverse, 5th year forward, pairing changes, oc x ron, dramoine, see bio for details) And neither Ron nor Celeste (nor Draco & Hermione) expected anything more than a few casual hellos to come as a result..All four of them thought that when school started back, things would return to their normal state.. They're opposites so this cannot possibly work... Can it?
1. Chapter 1

The noises from the otherwise quiet house had Ron raising a brow. All morning, he'd been hearing music, splashing from the fenced in area behind the house and by now, he was beyond curious. For his entire 15 years of life, he'd thought the house empty, thought it abandoned. Now apparently, he was about to discover either he had one damned impressive imagination, or it actually was not empty.

The closer he got to the house, the louder the noise, -which was apparently music of some kind- got. He was almost to the stone wall that seperated the house's back yard from the rest of the property and the woods and he could hear his heart roaring in his ears.

"Can't believe I'm about to do this." he muttered as he looked around and then satisfied that nobody saw him, he scaled the fence just a little.

And promptly almost fell off when he saw a group of girls around his age all sitting in a pool that looked more like a pond than an actual swimming pool, sipping lemonade through straws out of wine glasses while talking loudly amongst themselves.

The cough caught Celeste's attention and she bit her lower lip. Was her mom back from her cruise early? She hoped not, this summer had been by far the most peaceful one she'd ever had without her mom there blaming her for the loss of her father, wishing she'd never had her, drinking and being angry all the time, breaking things.

Way down deep inside, Celeste sort of hoped her mother never came back from the cruise. It wasn't like she actually wanted to be there at the house when she was there.. Maybe if her mother left they'd both be happier and she wouldn't lie awake nights crying, wishing her mother loved her.

Her friend's giggling had her looking at the fence and she saw a brief flash of red and heard a loud thud on the other side of the stone wall. Holding a finger to her lips, she looked at her friends and grabbed her towel, got out of the pool and walked to the wall's door, peeked out.

"Jig's up, mate. I saw you before you fell off my stone wall like a proper jackass." she called out as she stepped out, towel wrapped around her tightly.  
Ron looked up from the ground at her and then blinked and asked "Don't I go to school with you?"

Celeste bit her lower lip and held out her hand, assisting the fallen ginger haired male off the ground as she said cheekily, "I ask god for a male model and he sends me a Weasley."

Ron stared at her dumbly a moment and she said impatiently, "It was sarcasm, Ronald. Gahh, you'd think as much as you spend time with that walking book Hermie, you'd know what that was." as she looked at him a moment, brow raised.

"You live here?" he asked, looking around at the house and then back at her. She chuckled and shaking her head she said simply, "Nooooo... I'm just squatting in this dump for the summer."

He chuckled and then said quietly, "Celeste, right?"

She nodded and then stopped her walk a moment to turn and ask with a lazy grin, "So are you coming into the backyard or... I mean you did almost break a limb trying to spy over the fence.. Satisfy your curiousity." as her heart fluttered a little.

Ron stood there a moment. He really had nothing better to do, if he went home he'd either be teased or tormented by his brothers or his mum would put him to work. Harry wasn't there yet and neither was Hermione. He shrugged and then asked "Is that a pond or a pool?"

"It's a little of both, Weasley, come on. You can ask these questions on the other side of the fence. I hate dirt and sand between my toes." she muttered as she stared a little. True, she'd spent the better part of the past 3 years or so nursing a bit of a schoolgirl crush on the older Gryffindor, but she'd gotten over it lately..

Or so she told herself.

"Are you having a party in here? Because I can go if.." Ron said as he studied her a moment. She shook her head and stepped out of the way, letting him duck and step through the smallish door etched into the stone wall, almost completely taken over by some kind of wild growing flower.

He looked around at the pool and the other girls sitting in it, a few he recognized from school, a few he didn't know, and then back at her.

"You know Eva, Sarah and Marie.. The girl on the left is Amy and the girl sitting on the lounge chair with the magazine and a stick up her arse is Melia. And your favorite person just left." Celeste giggled as Ron gave her a dirty look and said "Not Lavender.."

"She loves you soooooo much." one of the girls in the pool called out as she splashed at Celeste lazily. Celeste dropped her towel, got a running start and dove off into the pool. Ron leaned against the wall not sure whether he should leave now or stay and talk to the girl.

He'd sort of thought she was cute, almost asked her to the Yule Ball last year, but he'd decided against when he got talked into asking a Patil twin by Harry.

"Are you going to stand there all day like a knot on a pickle, Weasley, or are you getting in this water?" Celeste called out cheekily as the other girls began talking, taunting him, saying funny things that made him laugh and smile and for a little while forget there was a war incoming that dark days lie ahead.

For a few moments he was just your average teenage wizard standing in the backyard of a pretty teenage neighbor, making casual conversation. Without the confines of Hogwarts daunting him, he seemed a little more confident.

And he had been gearing up to play Quidditch this year, he was filling out in physical form finally. He took off his t shirt and then dove into the pool in his jeans.

"Seriously, Weasley.. You're getting in here.. With those filthy jeans."

"Wouldn't want any of you fainting on me." Ron quipped as Celeste smirked and then said "Promise we won't." as the girls watched them with amused faces. All of her friends knew that yes, she was in flirt mode right now, she was taking full advantage of Hermione Granger NOT being underfoot and flirting with Ron, finally.

"Think she'll tell him she's liked him for a while now?" Eva asked Sarah who shrugged and said "Katie Bell DID dare her to do it.. Said something about seeing Hermione staring at a certain Malfoy?"

"Ooh la la.. Scandalous." Marie said as she sipped her lemonade and said "He's actually not a git. He's constantly either irritated or being a git when the other two are around. Not entirely bad by himself."

Celeste splashed at Ron who splashed back and asked "Do you have anymore of that lemonade?"

"Depends, Ron. How thirsty are you?" Celeste asked as he looked at her, watched her burst into laughter and climb out of the pool, jog into the house, come back out with a wine glass full of lemonade.

"Why is it in a goblet?" he asked, arching a brow as he sipped the drink. Celeste shrugged and said "Made us feel sophisticated, I suppose."

"So.. what were you sophisticated ladies doing?" he asked as he leaned against the pool's side wall, sipped the drink in his hands. Celeste dove back in and Eva said casually, " Just talking, really. Why were you spying?" with a smirk on her face.

Ron chuckled and shrugging said "Heard your music." as Celeste surfaced from beneath the water, asked Ron, "Granger and Potter aren't already at your place? I mean I always seem to see them there."

"And now who's spying?" Ron joked as Celeste laughed in amusement and said quietly, "Yeah, don't flatter yourself there, Ronald."

"It's Ron."

"Not when you say annoying things." Celeste teased as Ron studied her a moment, laughed a little. He honestly couldn't remember the last time in almost 4 years now that he'd laughed this much in a day, let alone the space of an hour or so.

"What? That wasn't annoying, woman, bloody hell." Ron joked as Celeste splashed water at him, dove out of the way.

From the distance, Ron heard his mum calling his name from their porch and he got out of the pool, grabbing his jeans and t shirt.

"So.. Suppose we'll just put this day in a little black box and never speak of it, but maybe we'll never forget it, either, yeah?" Celeste asked as Ron raised a brow and then smiled a little, said with a casual shrug, "I'll.. I'll ermm, see you round. Whole other month of summer left."

"And once they're here, Ron, you'll be too busy. Which is fine, really. If you want to actually have fun.. You know where I live." Celeste gestured as she waved him off and added almost teasingly, "Better go Ronald.. Wouldn't want mum and daddy catching you with the likes of me, right?"

He studied her a few moments and then made himself walk out of the heavy door in the stone wall. Once he was back home, he opened the owls he'd gotten from his friends, flopped back onto his bed in his room and mulled over the girl next door.

How long had she lived there? Where were her parents?

And why was she so convinced that once his friends Harry and Hermione showed up, he'd just forget she existed.. Even more intriguing, why was she so okay with it?

The music from that mansion in the woods floated in on the summer nights breeze and he found himself wondering what she was doing now...

"I'll go back over and see her tomorrow. Not like I've got anything else to do.. Harry and Hermione won't be here until next week or the week after." he muttered to himself as he got into bed for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

The absolute last person Hermione Granger expected to run into on her family's annual beach vacation was the person she hated / secretly fantasized about, Draco Malfoy. But apparently, Draco and his friends too decided to make a jaunt to the beach. She ducked out of sight, biting her lower lip as she peered around the side of her father's car.

"What in Merlin is he doing here?" she groaned inwardly as she watched the platinum blonde male peel off the t shirt he wore, sprint to the ocean, dive headfirst into it. "Is he.. Laughing?" she muttered as she heard her father calling her name and reluctantly stepped out from her vantage point behind the family car.

"Yes, dad." she said as he tossed her the sunblock, her beach towel and bag. She flopped onto the sand, opening her book. She'd almost convinced herself that surely she had not seen Draco Malfoy dive into the ocean, she had to be getting heatstroke or something, when she heard his throat clearing, the silhouette blocked out her sunlight, darkening the white pages of the book in her hands.

"Granger?" Draco asked, trying not to let the hint of excitement that crept into his voice be heard. "And naturally, you're a Mudblood, you all do love these places." he said casually as Hermione blinked when she looked up and glared at him then asked, "Did your father actually let you off the leash he's got you on?"

"Ran away actually." Draco admitted, flopping back onto the sand, leaning on his elbows, looking up at the sky. Hermione chortled at his comment, looked over at him and asked calmly, "Is there any reason you're still here, Malfoy? Come to insult me?"

"Actually, no. See, I overheard you telling Weaslebee and Potter about your little family vacation.. Decided to see what one does on a family vacation, other than be miserable."

Hermione didn't have a good feeling about this, but she didn't have a bad one, either. Sighing, she rolled over onto her back and asked through gritted teeth, "So you just what? Show up here and spend the entire remainder of the summer irritating me? Really, you couldn't just save it for school?" she asked.

He chuckled and then said quietly, "You really don't know me, Granger.. You think you do, you havge no idea, actually. But then again, you don't notice anyone but that disgusting Weaslebee.. And he only uses you.. And he'll continue to use you until you show him he's not necessary."

Hermione sighed and said quietly, "He's my friend, Malfoy. Now won't you just get lost?" looking up at him with pleading eyes. She hated to admit it, but the thing about Draco was that she could fantasize all she wanted.. It didn't mean there was an actual feeling human being under that cold facade of his. And moments like now, his having purposely shown up on her family's vacation only proved to her why he was a deep dark fantasy, an unknown and hidden obsession.

He leaned in and shook his head as he said quietly, "Look.. Don't flatter yourself, Granger. You are not the only reason I did this while my parents were gone for the summer." and for a moment, the look in his eyes had her worried for him. His eyes looked dull, he looked as if he'd aged at least 3 years in one year. She didn't remember seeing him this way before. Then again, she usually went out of her way to avoid him if at all possible, the way he cried Mudblood every time he saw her the way it hurt her, made her feel as if she were something dirty, something less than human.

"Why did you do it then?" she asked as he shrugged, muttered something under his breath and said quietly, "When I was little.. We took a vacation to a beach.. South of France if my memory serves. Spent the entire week indoors, my father telling me that I couldn't just go out and mingle with the other kids my own age. Maybe, Granger, I just got tired of being Father's perfect Pureblood Prince. Maybe I finally wanted to stick my toes in the ocean." Draco said as he slid a pair of bright orange framed sunglasses down over his eyes, stared out into the ocean, posture stiff.

Truth be told, he found himself questioning a lot of things lately. With his parents putting so much pressure on him to do one thing, despite it being completely against what he actually believed but never dared to admit that he believed. The fact that Voldemort resurfaced during the Tournament last year only served to remind the platinum blond male that their time as carefree and irresponsible teenagers was fast coming to an end.

But then again, that bought him to the reason he was here.. In the same place Hermione Granger and her family were vacationing for a week or two.. If he were going to have to give up everything he ever wanted, he at least wanted to know what having it felt like.. And for anyone who hadn't figured it out yet, he'd had a crush on her since their very first meeting, the first time he set sights on her in the halls of the castle.

He knew she'd never let herself have any sort of wreckless and crazy fun, and she'd never actually get to know what it felt like to be a teenager, to make mistakes, to have fun doing stupid things.. And if he didn't do something now, she'd never understand how just settling for Weasley was the worst thing she'd ever allow herself to do.

He took a deep breath and Hermione said quietly, "Why did you really show up here, Malfoy? If it's to torment me, I'll hex you."

"You wouldn't dare, Granger. You're too good a girl to do that. I told you why I'm here. Why's it so hard to believe that I might actually want to rebel against my father, the life he wants for me?" Draco asked as he looked at the ocean, determined not to look at her.

Hermione studied him a few intense moments as she said quietly, "You're right.. I am too good a girl to hex you. And you're mostly right about Ron.. I could've went there already, but I've been thinking a lot lately.. Since last year at the Yule Ball, to be exact. I mean I gave him a million chances. He still asked someone else."

"And you went with that disgusting git Krum." Draco said as Hermione's cheeks heated and she asked "How'd you know?"

"For one thing, Granger, I saw you. And the git talked about how he wanted to 'deflower' the good girl all the time, it was disgusting." Draco admitted as he thought about how close he'd actually come to strangling Krum for that very thing on countless occasions.

"So.. were your parents going to be gone all summer?" Hermione asked as Draco shrugged and said quietly, "Don't know, don't actually care. I only really ever see my mum." while shuffling his bare feet in the sand before standing, holding out his hand. "Just trust me, this once.. Just forget about how I'm a Slytherin and you're a Gryffindor, how we are supposed to hate each other. I want to talk to someone, and you're the only person I feel even slightly comfortable talking to." Draco said as he waited on her.

"Why should I trust you,Malfoy?" Hermione asked as Draco shrugged and then said quietly, "I won't give you a false reason. But do you really want to look back in 5 years and wonder what might have happened, had you just trusted me and come with me?"

"I can't go far.. Unlike you, I'm here with parents.. Parents who love me very much." Hermione insisted. She sighed as he looked at her, and looking up the beach, towards the boardwalk, she looked back at him and said quietly, "Fine, Malfoy. But do not make me regret this. And this means in no way, shape or form that I do trust you. I just know if I don't go with you, you'll taunt me and pick on me and make me so miserable that I either run indoors or ultimately wind up caving in."

Draco managed a smirk as she told her parents where she was going, and the two of them began making their way towards the boardwalk. "I do believe I'll go on that.. Never been on a Muggle contraption like that before, and they look like fun."

"You are not getting me on that rollercoaster, Malfoy." Hermione said as he looked at her and then chuckled, said quietly, "Take a risk, Granger. Or can you only do that when your arse is actually on the line?"

"But it's an unnecessary risk, Malfoy.. Besides.. I don't actually care much for heights.. Or moving so fast things look like a blur."

Draco shrugged and said " Nobody's going to see you with me and run back, tell Potter and Weaslebee." as he caught her looking around the boardwalk as if she were looking to make sure absolutely nobody saw them talking, behaving like dare she say it, friends..

This felt like the beginning to a strange summer.. And she had the feeling that once school got started back for the Fall, everything would be ruined...


	3. Chapter 3

She honestly didn't expect to see Ron Weasley again, especially not at 8 am, standing in the doorway that lead to the patio of the house. But he was standing there, leaning in the partially open French doors, watching her with an amused grin as she danced around the house to some annoyingly catchy Muggle pop music, probably something they called a teen group.

She raked her hand through her hair and bit her lower lip as she said "You're up early, Weasley."

"And you're dancing around.. In pajamas." Ron said as he coughed, tried to steer his mind in a more neutral direction, get it off where it'd went, seeing her like that. She shrugged, giggling as she pointed out, "It's not exactly a crime in either world." while pouring herself a glass of orange juice, putting her cereal bowl and spoon in the sink before adding, "You can come in, Ron."

He stepped in, his blue eyes darting around the large kitchen and dining area. He wasn't used to being in a house so big, one so artfully decorated that it looked more like a museum than a home. "Your parents aren't home?" he asked, looking at her with a slightly cocked brow as she looked at him a moment and muttered quietly, "Kind of used to it. Sort of glad my mum's not here. All she ever does is drink and nag. Or tell me how much she didn't want my father to die, how she wishes it'd have been me or something.. Let's change the subject?" she pleaded, looking at him as she sipped her orange juice.

"So you're here alone like this, all the time?" he asked in curiousity as she shook her head and said "Normally there's a full staff of housekeepers and the like, I just sent 'em off to enjoy their own summer, paid them in advance. They'll come back when I've gone to school again. Felt like I'd rather be on my own for a summer. I mean I can take care of myself."

"But you're fourteen..." Ron countered as she looked at him and shrugging, added with a smirk, "And according to my mum's housekeeper, I'm going on 24."

Ron laughed and then said casually, "Told you I'd come over today." as she looked at him and shrugged then said "I never said you wouldn't. Just said that once school starts, we probably won't see each other often. I didn't expect you to do anything, really."

"Why don't you think we'll see each other once school starts. We're in the same bloody house, why wouldn't we?" Ron asked as she looked at him and said with an amused grin, "Because, Ron.. Cormac McLaggen.. He's been my boyfriend since my second year, I hardly get to do anything without him butting in, getting jealous." as she bit her lower lip. She didn't want to think about the end of summer, the end of her freedom, the end of this 'friendship' she might form with Ron while neither of them had their usual distractions underfoot... She'd been wanting to break up with Cormac for a few years now, but she just chose not to, because unlike everyone else, he stayed. He didn't just tell her that she was a mistake he made, that he was done with her, done trying to chip away at the heavy ice layers around her heart. He stayed and he cared.. In his own sort of less than nice way.

They had their problems, but at the end of the day, he stayed and he didn't care that she needed to be alone a lot, that she didn't do the whole cuddly romantic and committed thing like other girls their age did. They weren't this fuzzy and happy couple, and for the most part, she appreciated that.

And then she'd see her friends all happy with their normal relationships, able to open up to anyone they chose to open up to and able to let their guard down, not wait on the other shoe to drop, wait on someone to disappoint them as she always did.

The song playing in the den where the home theater system was changed and she laughed as she swept her arms wide and said with a smirk, "So, you've seen the kitchen, sir.. If you'll follow me, there's much more to see. Keep hands and feet in the ride at all times." as he nodded, tried not to feel the surprising surge of jealousy that came with her little bombshell about Cormac McLaggen being her boyfriend. He should have known that for this was one of at least 3 reasons he hated the guy personally. He saw how they were together, how they fought constantly, how Cormac cheated and made her cry.

He'd overheard Hermione consoling the girl once, back when he thought he might have a crush on Hermione. That'd been one of the first times he'd noticed Celeste. For a while he'd been torn between the two girls, but now he knew that he just didn't feel that way about Hermione, and he thought that maybe, just maybe, he might feel something more for Celeste.

"How many rooms are in this place, bloody hell?" he gasped as she lead him up one side of a set of carved double staircases in what appeared to be the formal entry way. She laughed and said "Enough that I once got lost for 3 hours while playing as a child."

He stared at the Muggle electronics in the den with fascination and then said quietly, "Bloody hell. If they showed Quidditch games on those sets.." as she shrugged and said quietly, "They actually do have a network for the wizarding community. It just barely has anything worth watching on it lately. I mostly watch VHS tapes.. And most of those are of old Muggle movies my mum has in the shelves below."

He nodded and then said casually, "Are those any good?"

"A few are, yes.. Are you asking if you can watch one, Weasley?" Celeste asked with a mischevious twinkle in her eyes as she looked up at him. He shrugged and then said "Maybe.. I mean if you want to.."

"I know the perfect one." she said as she grabbed hold of his larger and slightly calloused hand, practically dragging him into the room, shutting a white sliding pocket door behind her as she flopped onto a large L shaped couch after using magic to turn on the electronics from where she sat. Ron fell back and groaned as he said aloud, "This couch feels like clouds."

Celeste laughed a little and then nodding in agreement she leaned back on the couch, trying her best to ignore the fact that a longtime crush was sitting here, in her living room, while she wore pajamas and probably looked the worst she'd ever looked in her entire life.

Ron studied her and then as the movie started, he raised a brow and asked, "This isn't some girly Muggle movie.. Is it?" as she looked at him, biting her lower lip and then grumbling asked, "Seriously, Ron? So what if it is?" while looking at him with an amused smirk.

He looked at her and then laughed a little as he waved his hands and said "Fine.. Okay, alright." while staring at her a moment and then asking, "Why'd you look so surprised that I actually showed up?"

Celeste shrugged and said quietly, "Just figured that with my reputation and your best friends being Potter and Hermie.. They'd show up or something. I didn't say you had to come back. But it's nice.. I mean you coming by. Just too bad that when we're back at Hogwarts, everything will go back to the way it was before.. I mean it has to."

"It does not." Ron argued as he asked seconds later, "Why does it have to?" which made her shrug and say something he couldn't understand, then add aloud, "Because, Ron.. Cormac's not really all that fond of me having other male friends.. And he is my boyfriend."

"Why do you date that git? I mean, he never actually treats you all that well." Ron blurted as he fought back the wave of jealousy he felt that'd shocked him when it surfaced. She sighed and said quietly, "It's hard to explain really. Look, he cares, he just shows it in a weird way. And he's not gone, okay? He sticks around. What about you and Hermie, huh?"

"What about Hermione?" Ron asked as he looked at her, still confused as to why she'd stay with Cormac simply because he 'stuck around'. The guy still didn't treat her well, and everyone in their house at school knew it. Celeste studied him a moment and then said "I thought you two were.."

"What? Noooo. I mean she was with Krum, the git.. And I think she likes someone else. She won't say who, which I find annoying, but we're just friends." Ron said as he looked at Celeste a few moments, remembering the first time he'd noticed her. Hermione had confronted the younger Gryffindor about the way Cormac treated her, annoyed with it, and the girl had basically held her own in an argument against Hermione. But he completely agreed with what his friend said about Cormac, and since he sort of liked this girl, maybe a little too much, it made him angry to see Cormac doing all that.

"Malfoy? I mean according to owls I've gotten from my friend Emmaline, who's seen them.. She's getting quite close to Malfoy. And she had the nerve to say something to me about McLaggen. At least I'm not trying to consort with the enemy." Celeste laughed bitterly as she looked up at Ron and said quietly, "Sorry, it's just.. She annoys me on occasion."

Ron kept quiet, gave her a glare as she said calmly, "Can we watch the movie, or..." before standing and asking seconds later, "Do you want popcorn and a soda? I think I'll go fix us popcorn." leaving the room in a hurry.

She knew she'd made him mad, Hermione was his friend, he was nothing if not protective of his friends and family, but she wasn't expecting him to follow her into the kitchen and say quietly, "Sorry I asked.. But if you ask me, Celeste.. Maybe you'd be better off if you just walked away from McLaggen."

She sighed and shoved the popcorn into an antique popper as she bit her lower lip and said quietly, "I'm no saint, Ron. Trust me, I'm not the perfect person. And besides.. He puts up with all my crap, so maybe I'm okay with where I am. I just... I hate feeling lonely. I mean I know it sounds weak.."

Ron nodded and said quietly, "It does, especially when you see what everyone else does when McLaggen lights into you like he's known to do. I mean you do it right back, but how can that make you happy?" as he looked at her, watched her moving around the kitchen, licked his lips.

The smell of heavily buttered popcorn drifted through the air and she kept silent, she wasn't going to answer his question because she didn't want to explain how she didn't know any kind of love but the wrong one.. How she was messed up by the way her mother treated her.

He wouldn't understand anyway, because he had a slightly eccentric yet very loving and normal (all things considered) home life, with a family that actually cared about him. She hadn't really had that, Cormac, for her, was an escape.. Because when he was being a good guy, he was a really sweet guy.

It was just the 90 percent of the rest of the time she had to deal with him. But what they had wasn't some happy, cliche romance, it was real. They were both headstrong, easily made jealous, easily angered.. And deep down, Celeste knew what she really wanted, Ron, but she also knew that sometimes, in life, you just aren't meant to have what you want.

But oh how she wished that now wasn't one of those times.. Especially after finding out that he was actually her neighbor and lived so close to her.

Ron sighed as he asked quietly, "Are you mad?"

"Not at all.. We were just being honest, Ron. Not everyone explodes in anger when you're honest with them. Not everyone winds up fighting all the time.. And besides, you have a lot of room to talk.. I mean you say you don't like Hermione, but.. I saw the look just now, when I mentioned Malfoy."

"I looked like that, Celeste, because it's just.. I'm baffled as to why she'd actually bother getting to know the git, considering the way he's treated her in the past. No other reason. You almost sound jealous." Ron said as she turned around, scowling at him, unamused.

"If I were to go for what I really wanted, Ron, I'd make a total mess of it. And there's no sense in rocking the boat." Celeste admitted as Ron looked at her a moment, brows raised, curious. Did she like some other guy? And why did that make him feel a sharp pang of jealousy?

It was even sharper than the pang he'd felt over finding out his best friend might just be compromising herself for the worst guy in Hogwarts... He'd been concerned about her in a brotherly sort of way.. But with Celeste, he felt this angry and bitter desperation and jealousy.. Like he had to do something to keep her from throwing herself away on a guy who clearly didn't honestly deserve her.

"What do you really want?" Ron asked as Celeste laughed a little and shrugged, shovelling popcorn in her mouth. She of course, wasn't about to answer the loaded question he'd asked. "Let's just say it's better left secret, leave it at that, yeah?" she asked as she managed a smaller smile, held out the colander full of buttery popcorn and handed him a soda. "Let's just go watch that movie. Pretend neither of us talked about any of this.. Have a fun summer, one where we're happy, normal and not out risking our lives for the things our friends pull us into that are dangerous, or miserable because of the dark side of the life we live, huh?"

Ron nodded and smiling said "This movie better not be a damned girly movie." as he walked with her back into the den of her large house, flopped down on the couch beside her. He watched her intently as the movie began, watched her getting caught up in the movie, smiled to himself.

Maybe if he became friends with her, he could work up his nerve to make a move, show her he wanted more.. That he'd been wanting more, silently, for a year or two now.. And maybe, she'd take a chance on him. He knew he wasn't the best guy, but he also knew he'd never treat her like McLaggen treated her.


End file.
